Will Jose Bautista break his home run record this year?

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is on pace to break his own home run record of 54, set in 2010. Already he's dinged 16 homers in 40 games, which is a telling stat: it's exactly where Barry Bonds was in 2001 when he established the single-season record of 73, Sportsnet.ca reports.

Bautista recently hit three home runs in one game, wowing Toronto fans and the MLB. He's got his sports hernia fixed and he looks very comfortable at the plate. Why shouldn't he? Last year's home run champion could be chasing Bonds and Mark McGwire for home-run supremacy and nothing seems to be slowing him down.

It's no surprise the Blue Jays and Bautista agreed to a 5-year contract extension worth US$64 million that will keep the 31-year-old with the club through the 2015 season. The Jays are smart to retain his offensive services; they haven't seen this kind of firepower since Carlos Delgado and George Bell. Bautista is filling the Rogers Centre seats and he's giving fans a show.

I'm seeing the Blue Jays game on May 31, and I'm praying to the MLB gods I'll get to see Bautista smack one to the stands. It could be history in the making.